It was in 1625 that a certain William Blaxton or Blackstone settled in the area in which today’s Boston extends. Blaxton was the first European in the region, and he intended to be successful. He succeeded, because in 1629 he was already selling land to settlers coming from Europe. When the Puritans reached the east coast of the “New World” in June 1630, they had property rights over the entire colony. It was they who gave Blaxton land for development. All English immigrants lived in a settlement on a peninsula. This was called Shawmut by the indigenous peoples and first Trimountaine by the settlers. John Winthrop, the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
With his sermon, which became famous as “City upon the Hill”, John Winthrop proclaimed the special relationship between the Puritans and God, with whom they were connected by a special contract. With a strong focus on puritanical values such as work, education and godliness, the young city was strengthened and at that time already displayed values that are still part of the social self-image of Boston and New England today. The Boston Latin School was founded as the first Latin school in 1635. And in 1636 America got its first university. It was Harvard University, today probably the most prestigious and well-known university in the world.
On June 1, 1660, a religiously motivated female martyr was executed for the last time. Quaker Mary Dyer had entered the city of Boston several times despite a 1658 law forbidding her belief and banishing the Quakers from the city. Mary Dyer is therefore considered to be the first martyr of Quakerism.
After a massive city fire on March 20, 1760 destroyed about a tenth of the city, Boston rose into the focus of the “world public” in 1773 – with the famous Boston Tea Party. On December 16, 1773, protests against an increase in the tea tax by the British Parliament had sparked nothing less than the American War of Independence. On that December day, some Boston citizens disguised as Indians went to the city harbor and threw 342 cases of tea from the British East India Trading Company into the harbor basin. An incredible affront to the British colonial power and the beginning of a war that would end with the declaration of independence in 1776.
After the American Revolution, Boston became more and more one of the most prosperous trading ports in the world. Above all fish, rum, salt and tobacco were sold. With the 1820s, the image of the city population also changed due to increased immigration. The descendants, who were almost exclusively Protestant for a long time, were supplemented by a large proportion of Catholics, mainly from Ireland and later Italy. The population grew enormously, and the urban area tripled between the years 1630 and 1890. This was done through incorporations and land reclamations.
While Boston suffered the consequences of the largest city fire in its history in 1872, another, but bizarre accident occurred on January 15, 1919, when a faulty molasses tank burst and its contents exploded near North End Park – Whole 14,000 tons of molasses (= residues from sugar extraction and used for rum production) – poured onto the streets of the city. 21 passers-by drowned in the sticky-sweet mass and another 150 were injured.
The structural change in Boston in the 1920s and 1930s was a result of the retreat of old industries that could no longer keep up with the high wage levels in the city. The city responded with Urban Renewal, a package of various urban development initiatives that, unfortunately, often initially came at the expense of the poorer population groups. As a result, large sections of the population were displaced from the core city. Later projects changed this undesirable development again. The so-called linkage principle ensured a greater financial balance between structurally strong and structurally weak core city areas.
The 1970s brought renewed economic growth, for which the medical sector was particularly responsible. Short for BST by Abbreviationfinder, Boston giant clinics like Massachusetts General Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital were among the nation’s leading medical institutions. The general science sector also increasingly attracted students and cemented the city’s reputation as a place of thought and education. The early 21st century saw Boston then as the international, intellectual and technological center of the USA, whereas regional institutions in the financial and journalistic sectors lost importance.
Boston: Excursions in the area
Cambridge
Cambridge – The suburb of Boston was named after the city of the same name in England where the former founding fathers studied. Cambridge is home to Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The city’s liberal atmosphere is fed by the diversity of its population – from poor immigrants to Harvard professors. The liberal attitude also earned the city the nickname People’s Republic of Cambridge.
Martha’s Vineyard
Martha’s Vineyard – The almost 232 km² island on the south coast of Cape Cod with 15,000 residents and its main town Edgartown is known for the neighboring island of Chappaquiddick, where Senator Edward Kennedy suffered a serious car accident in 1969, in which his companion Mary Jo Kopechne died came. In 1999 the plane of John F. Kennedy Jr., the son of the former US President, crashed into the sea near Martha’s Vineyard. Kennedy and his wife and sister-in-law were killed. Once home to one of the earliest deaf communities, Martha’s Vineyard developed a special sign language dialect, known as Martha’s Vineyards Sign Language, because of its isolation. If you come to the island today, you will find a popular holiday resort, where many famous Americans built their mansions. Films such as Jaws and Inseparable as well as series such as Gilmore Girls were shot on and near the island. And John Belushi is buried in Abel’s Hill Cemetery in Chilmark. So there are many reasons to visit Martha’s vineyard when you are nearby.
Quincy
The city in Quincy Bay extends about 10 km southeast of Boston and is also known as the City of the Presidents because the two US Presidents John Adams and his son, John Quincy Adams were born in Quincy. It is therefore not surprising that many buildings point to these personalities and their politically well-known family members, which can be seen in the Adams National Historical Park. The US Naval Shipbuilding Museum is also located in Quincy, where you can visit the USS Salem, the only surviving heavy cruiser of the US Navy. Also worth seeing in Qunicy are the Church of the Holy Sepulcher of the two presidents (United First Parish Church) and the houses of the Adams family. If you go to the Quincy Shore Reservation, you will be visiting a very popular destination.